


Second Chance

by Sebastina_Michaelis



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, lukadrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2020-12-28 00:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21127640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastina_Michaelis/pseuds/Sebastina_Michaelis
Summary: When it comes to Adrien, Luka's heard it all. Though their encounters may have been brief, Luka finds himself wanting to figure out what truly makes Adrien tick; for better or for worse. The pair hit it off and love slowly blossoms between them as they bond not only through their love of music, but through fighting crime as well. As Adrien's been forbidden to see him, Luka finds himself growing more and more attatched to Cat Noir than he thought possible. As he struggles with his newfound attraction, Adrien is torn between easing Luka's torment and confessing everything or keeping his secret and his Miraculous.





	1. Chapter One: Adrien's POV

_I didn't think I'd be this early._ Anarka told you to go on down when you told her you were there for band practice and that Luka was in his room. But, you were a little nervous about it. You hadn't really spent much time with him with the others, let alone by yourself. The few times you had been invited to practice, you were either heading out as Luka was coming in or vice versa. It felt like you hadn't had a chance to properly meet him.

Luka was sprawled out on his bed with his eyes closed when you found him. Music blared out of his headphones, but you couldn't pick up on any of the lyrics. If he wasn't humming softly you might have thought he was asleep. He looked so peaceful laying there that you didn't want to bother him. “What is it?”

Luka uncovers one of his ears and bends one of his legs. You set your bag on the floor. “Uh, I'm a little early.”

His brow furrows slightly as he sits up. His confusion shifts into a warm smile as he pulls his headphones down around his neck. “Sorry, I thought you were Jules. She likes lurking in doorways too.” He gestures to his room, “Make yourself at home.”

You step away from the door. “What were you listening to?” Luka fishes his phone out from under his pillow and stashes his headphones in his nightstand. You glance around the empty space while sitting on the bed beside him. There were a few posters on the wall. The one with a floral pattern beside his bed caught your attention the most. His computer sat in the corner of the room, off for the time being. There was a tattered notebook sitting beside it, along with another pair of headphones. There were a couple speakers mounted to the walls, and instruments and other recording equipment scattered about.

A trippy instrumental starts filtering in through the speakers. “Movie Soundtrack. Jules and I watched it a couple days ago. I couldn't really tell you what it was about though, I got way to absorbed into the music. Chilling, isn't it?”

Luka glances at you then changes the song. He spends a few more minutes on his phone. You supposed you could call the droning intrumental chilling, trippy was really the only thing that came to mind. It felt like time was slowing down. You didn't really listen to things like this, but the longer you sat there, the more it grew on you. “You're Adrien, right? Marinette talks about you a lot.”

“She does?” _Still?_ A sigh rises in your chest. Things always felt so all over the place with her. The harder you tried to let her down gently the more she tried to back pedal. One minute she'd be throwing herself at you, barely able to form a complete sentence, and the next she'd flip some switch and be completely normal. The cycle kept repeating itself and no matter how many times you tried to get yourself out, it didn't end.

You liked Marinette. She was kind and selfless. You truly valued her friendship, but that was all you wanted. Friendship. The same applied to all the other girls that vied for your attention.

Everyone around you was getting into relationships and falling in love but... that wasn't the case for you. And not for lack of trying since you had the biggest crush on Ladybug for like a year. That didn't pan out, but you weren't upset about it. If anything you were kind of relieved at times. “You don't sound to happy about it."

_Is it that obvious?_

“Sorry, I don't mean to pry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I understand.” Luka's eyes meet yours. He smiles again and you feel your heart skip a beat.

“No, it's fine.” You take a moment, trying to gather your thoughts, but nothing of substance ended up coming out of your mouth. “She's nice.”

Luka blows air of out his nose and sets his phone aside. Mischief sparkles in his eyes as he asks, “but?”

You shrug and lay back. If anyone else had asked you might have felt like you were backed into a corner and needed to defend yourself. That wasn't really the case now. Luka seemed genuinely curious, or more like a sounding board than anything.

Luka nods his head along to the beat of the song. He always calm and carefree. Even now that it felt like you were being sucked into his private world, you struggled to grasp that same sense of relaxation. You didn't want to worry about Marinette, or being Cat Noir or being famous. You just wanted to be for a little while.

As the guitar droned on, you slowly felt your frustration morph into something else. “There's no but I guess.” You shrug again. “She's nice, but I'm not interested. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but she just isn't getting it.”

You drape your arm over your face. Luka hums a moment. The bed shifts with him as he gets into a more comfortable position. “When it comes to love, there's bound to be some heartbreak int here as well. You should be more direct with her. Even if it hurts, there's no way both of you can be happy with how things are now. If Marinette really loves you then, she'll want you to be happy, even if it means you need to find that with other people.”

Luka was right. You knew that, but it felt like if you did this you'd be throwing your friendship out the window as well.

You raise you arm and stare at Luka's darkened profile. He must have spent a lot of time with Marinette if he knew she talked about you a lot. “Does that mean you're going to ask her out?”

Luka hums thoughtfully a moment. Ultimately he shakes his head. “not my type.” He turns towards you, holding your gaze.

“Then what is your type?”

“Blond...” Luka trails off, inching towards you. “Headstrong.” He plants his hands on either side of your head. You swallow, hard. “Charming, maybe a little clueless.”

You're mouth goes dry as he swings his leg on the other side of you. Your heart pounds as you remain transfixed by his gaze, hardly able to breathe let alone move. “I'm not clueless!”

Luka struggles to stifle his laughter while touching his forehead to yours.”If you say so.” He swipes his thumb across your bottom lip and presses his chest against your.

Something like this wouldn't have come across your wildest dreams. Your nervousness and uncertainty blended with your excitement. The closer his lips got to yours the more it felt like you were encased in your own little world. It was just you and Luka and this moment. There was something so perfect about it all.

You could feel his heart racing against your own. His warmth flowed into you. His deep uneven breaths mingled with your own sharper ones. You slip your hands under his, slowly intertwining your fingers. His skin was rough beneath yours but, you felt it suited him.

Luka gently squeezes your hands and shifts his weight, deepening your kiss. You grip his hands. Luka sucks in a breath, catching your bottom lip between his teeth before pulling back slightly. “Geez, you're a lot stronger than you look.”

“Sorry.” Sometimes you didn't know your own strength. You hadn't meant to hurt him.

Luka laughs quietly and shakes his head. He gently kisses you one last time and sighs your name. “Whet am I going to do you?” He touches his forehead to yours again, staring into the depths of your eyes. You squeeze his hands again, heat rising to your face. The sound of your uneven breathing was the only thing breaking the silence of the cabin in as the song ends.

Luka slowly climbs off of you, slipping his hands out of yours. You weren't sure you wanted the moment. You could feel your body trembling as Luka gets comfortable near your head. You slowly reach up and rest your hand on the side of his face. His eyes flutter shut. Luka wraps his hand around your fingers and turns his face into the palm of your hand, kissing it. “I hope I didn't overstep myself. I just...everyone talks about you so much. When I saw you standing there it felt like I was meeting an old friend. I wanted to hear your melody for myself... I wanted to know if it could mix with mine.”

No matter how long you lay there you couldn't seem to catch your breath. Not when Luka was staring at you with such a wistful expression. Not when he was holding your hand the the memory of his touch lingered on your lips. Not when you were so certain you didn't want this to end. “And do they?”

Luka kisses your hand again. “That wouldn't be entirely up to me, would it?”

You slide your hand up the side of his face and sit up, coming to tangle your fingers in his hair. Luka tenses slightly when you pull him into another kiss. You tried to make a conscious effort to not pull his hair, but it became the least of your worries as Luka wrapped his arm around you. His fingertips gently clawed at your back. You slide your hand up his chest, and hook your fingers into the collar of his shirt pulling him against you.

“Are you guys ready to rock?” Luka flinches beneath you as Rose's voice pierces through the silence. Despite her backing off the mic you heard her giggle and comment that she loved doing that.

“Guess that's our cue.” He steals one last kiss before pulling away from you.

You nod absentmindedly, trying to catch your breath while you fix your shirt. Juleka appears in the doorway, glancing between you and Luka. “Luka can you help with the amps?” She pause then adds. “W-when you're done.”

“Of course.” Juleka ducks back into the hall, but her shadow still cast on the floor. Luka ruffles your hair on the way by, and flashes you a mischievous smirk. “See you up there?

“Yeah.” You nod and smile again watching his form disappear down the hall.


	2. Chapter One: Luka's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot i added a little bit more when i wrote Luka's part >< but it's pretty much the same as the first chapter. I couldn't decide which one I liked more, although I find it a bit easier to get into Luka's head. :shrug:

You could feel yourself drifting off on a sea of haunting melodies the longer you lay there. The album you were listening to was proving to be more thoughtful than you had originally thought. Now that you weren't listening to it beneath dialogue and sound effects, you could sense the various moods and shifts in tone a lot better.

The song changes. The sensation of being watched creeps over you, but you weren't sure if it was the haunting melody or Jules trying to work up the nerve to ask you something. You uncover one of your ears and raise one of your legs in case she wanted to sit. “What is it?”

“Uh, I'm a little early.”

Your brow furrows in momentary confusion as you place the voice. You sit up and pull your headphones off. “Sorry, I thought you were Jules.” You smile and gesture to your room. “Make yourself at home.”

Adrien sets his bag down. “What were you listening to?” He glances around your room before sitting next to you. You stash your headphones and fish your phone out from under your pillow.

You take a moment to turn your bluetooth on and resume the song you had been listening to. “Movie soundtrack. Jules and O watched it a couple days ago. I couldn't really tell you what it was about thought, I got way to wrapped up in the music. Chilling, isn't it?”

You glance at Adrien while changing the song. He furrows his brow slightly in concentration as the beat drops. You take a moment to make a small playlist with a few other songs you were more fond of.

You had been waiting for your chance to actually talk with Adrien, but now that he was in front of you, you didn't know where to start. Marinette and the others talked about him so much it felt like you already knew him. But you didn't. You didn't know what sort of expressions he made. You didn't know what his laugh sounded like. You didn't know if he was really everything the others had built him up to be. You didn't want to let your need to know scare him off. “Adrien, right? Marinette talks about you a lot.”

“She does?” The slight crease in his brow deepens. Shit. You hadn't meant to upset him. You were under the impression that him and Marinette were close. Especially when you added in the girls always plotting to get them together.

“You don't sound to happy about it.” You shake your head slightly to yourself. No matter how you felt you weren't exactly close. Adrien might not have appreciated you trying to peak into his personal life no matter how well your intentions were. You didn't want him to feel like he was backed into a corner. “Sorry, I don't mean to pry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I understand.”

You catch his eye and smile.

“No, it's fine.” Adrien pauses, searching for the right words. “She's...nice.”

You exhale sharply and set your phone aside. Surely there was more to it than that? He wouldn't be put off by her talking about him if that wasn't the case. “But?”

Adrien shrugs and lays back. You splay your hands out beside you as the song changes. You nod along to the bass line while Adrien thinks. This felt so easy. “There's no but, I guess.” Adrien shrugs again. “She's nice, but I'm not interested. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but she's just not getting it.”

Marinette was a lot of things, but subtle wasn't one of them. She probably wasn't doing it intentionally, rather she still held out hope that their friendship could turn into something more. You could tell she was head over heels for him. Even if it was hard, Adrien wasn't going to get out of this if he wasn't firm with her. “Where there's love, there's bound to be heartbreak as well. You should be more direct with her. Even it it hurts now, there's no way both of you can be happy with how things are in the long term. If Marinette really loves you then she'll want you to be happy; even if it means you need to be happy with other people.”

You could feel Adrien staring at you. You were certain that was the right thing to say, but you still felt selfish saying that. He wasn't going to come to you just because he rejected Marinette, but you wished he would. You wanted to know if the Adrien you had hear dos much about was the same as the one you had sitting in front of you. You wanted to know the Adrien that was kind but also selfish. The Adrien that was charming but also crass. You wanted to know that Adrien that was smart but also a little clueless. Or maybe the Adrien that was beyond what everyone thought of, and expected, from him. You wanted to know him when he was just being him.

Adrien forces out a smile and asks, “does that mean you're going to ask her out?”

You hum thoughtfully, pretending to consider it. You supposed you were in the same boat as him. Marinette was nice but, you weren't sure you wanted to be anything more than friends. You shake your head. “Not my type.”

“Then what is your type?” You hold Adrien's gaze. Color rises to his cheeks and you hear him swallow.

“Blond...” You inch towards him. “Headstrong.” You place your hands on either side of his head. His eyes widen slightly, but he doesn't try to push you off. “Charming... maybe a little clueless.”

You swing your leg over him. “I'm not clueless.”

Adrien pouts slightly. You struggle to stifle your laughter and touch your forehead to his. “If you say so.”

You shift your right hand and run your thumb across his bottom lip. It felt like you were stealing him away. Faint notes drifted through your head and merged into the new song that started. Adrien's breathing picked up. His eyes would wander towards your mouth then back to your eyes. He shifted slightly beneath you as you place your hand back beside his head. The closer your lips came to his, the more aware you felt of him lying beneath you. What little reservations you still held about this were pushed to the back of your mind until there was nothing more than you, him, trapped in his moment.

You press your lips again his. You feel his pulse quicken to match yours as you press your chest against his. The sound of his sharp, uneven breaths mingle with your own deeper ones. He slips his hands beneath yours and intertwines your fingers.

His hands were soft, and just barely smaller than your own. His lips were soft too. The smell of his cologne started to wrap around you and it only made you want him more.

You shift your weight to your forearms and deepen the kiss. You squeeze his hands. Strands of his hair brush against the side of your face. Adrien grips your hands tighter than you would have expected. You suck in a breath, catching his bottom lip in your teeth. “Geez, you're stronger than you look.”

Adrien's eyes widen slightly and he stammers out an apology. He releases your hand and glances away. You kiss his cheek and laugh quietly. “It's fine.” You squeeze his hands again. You feel him take a breath as you trail kissed down the side of his face and to neck. He squeezes your hands again, gentler this time. You sigh his name and touch your forehead to his once again. “What am I going to do with you?”

You slip your hands from his and sit beside his head. The sound of your uneven breathing breaks the silence of your room. Fragments of his melody linger in the back of your mind. If he'd let you, you wanted to hear it again.

Adrien struggled to catch his breath again, His hand trembled slightly as he reached for your face. He strokes your cheek with his thumb and bites his lip. You wrap your hand around his fingers and turn your face into his hand, kissing his palm. You could feel his pulse still racing beneath your fingertips. “I hope I didn't overstep myself. I just... Everyone talks about you so much. When I saw you standing there it felt like I was meeting an old friend. I wanted to hear your melody for myself... I wanted to know if it could mix with mine.”

“And do they?”

You kiss his hand again. “That wouldn't be entirely up to me, would it?” You hold his gaze again. Doubt lingered at the edge of your consciousness. This felt so natural to you. But you could very well be wrong. You may have been letting your desire to know him cloud your judgement.

Adrien slides his hand up the side of your face and sits up, tangling his fingers in your hair. A flash of purple in the peripheral catches your attention as he pulls you into another kiss, but the thought was gone as soon as it had formed. Adrien shifted his grip on your as he edged closer to you. You slip your arms around him, trying to find your grip in his over-shirt. He runs his hand up your chest only to wrap his hands around the collar of your shirt and pull you closer to him. “Are you guys ready to rock?”

You flinch away from him as Rose's voice pierces through the silence. Adrien seemed just as dazed as you were for a moment. Practice had entirely slipped your mind. “I guess that's our cue.” You kiss him one last time before leaning away from him. If you lingered too close you might have been tempted to stay here for as long as you could.

Jules appear in the doorway once again. She glances between you and Adrien and shuffles her feet. “Luka can you help move the amps? W-when you're done.”

“Of course.” Jules ducks into the hall, but you could still see her shadow on the floor. You stand, and rest your hand on top of Adrien's head. His hair was soft too. “See you up there?”

“Yeah.” Adrien nods absentmindedly and smiles to himself. You follow Jules into the living room but stop short of grabbing one of the amps. “Adrien said he's going to talk to Marinette, but can you keep this a secret for now?”

Jules flips her hair back, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face as she rolls up an extension cord. “I mean, I didn't look like she stood a chance anyway. But, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.”

You grab and amp and follow her toward the upper deck. “Thanks Jules.”

“Don't sweat it. The real question is who's gonna tell mom she's not getting grandkids?”

You peer into your room on the way by. Adrien was still sitting on your bed, off in his own little world. “We can adopt.”

“Don't give Rose any ideas. She'd turn the house into an orphanage.”


	3. Chapter 3

Luka's words of encouragement came flooding back to you as Marinette bounded up to you after your photo shoot. You vaguely recalled some plans to hang out being thrown around in the group chat but nothing specific came to mind. For once you were thankful that you had a relatively packed weekend.

The harder you had tried to find the right moment to talk to her, the less opportunities came. You felt bad that Luka was being so patient with you, but you had yet to gain the nerve to do what you said you would. A very large part of you was wishing you had just done it over text. Or FaceTime. But you were too concerned about making this as painless as possible to actually do it.

“Hey Adrien.”

Marinette beams as Alya adds, “Your shoots over right?”

“Yup.”

“Great.” Alya pointedly adjusts her glasses. “We were all going to go get ice cream, if you're free, you should totally come with.”

“I can't, sorry, I've got a thing with my dad, and Kagami later. Plus I haven't even started my History paper.” You laugh nervously and rub the back of your neck. “But, Marinette I've been meaning to talk to you. Can I borrow you for a minute?”

Alya practically shoves her forward. “Of course you can.” She winks at Marinette and saunters just out ear shot.

Anxiety surges through you as Marinette tenses. She shifts awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with you. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Look, I know this probably isn't the best time but, I've been trying to say this for awhile. Actually, there probably won't ever be a good time but...”

You trail off and take a breath, clinging to what little remained of your earlier drive. This was the one thing you told yourself you needed to do this weekend. Marinette being here had to be some proof that you needed to see this through. You just needed to do it quick. Rip it off like a band-aid and hope she didn't hate you.

You place hand firmly on her shoulder. “Look Marinette, you're great. You're nice and selfless, and creative. You are a great _friend_. And I sat that but I think I'm not being clear enough when I say that.” You take your hand off her shoulder. “I don't want to be anything more than friends. Like I said, you're great, I'm just...not into girls...”

The words felt foreign as they came out. All the while that you were trying to sort this out, the thought lingered in the back of your mind, but it never really came to the surface until now. You weren't wrong, but this just felt like a hell of a way to approach this situation.

“Oh...right...” Marinette nods slowly, processing what you had just said. Her smile fades, but she didn't seem as devastated as you had anticipated. You were genuinely worried she might start crying and then you really wouldn't have known what to do. Marinette nods one last time and takes a breath, forcing a small smile. “Good luck on your history paper. I'm uh... Gonna go...This way.” She turns sharply and makes a beeline for Alya before dragging her to other side of the park.

Marinette launched into this rather animated display. Alya glanced back at you a few times while Marinette talked. Eventually, Marinette crouched down on the ground and held her head.

You had to make an effort to turn around and walk towards the park gates. It was hard to tell if Marinette was taking this well, or if she was trying to keep it together. There was no way you'd find out anytime soon either.

Nathalie seemed a little surprised when you climbed back in the car. She studied you in the rear view mirror while finishing her call. You yank on your seat belt and try to look anywhere but the park. “You aren't going with your friends?”

“Nah, I'm kind of tired. Besides, I've got a lot of homework to do.”

Nathalie continues to study you in the mirror, but she doesn't press the issue. She clicks her pen and shuffles some papers to the passengers seat. “I've got some errands to run. Do you want to come or do you want me to bring you home?”

You actually wouldn't mind getting out for a little while. Despite how stern she could be, you liked Nathalie. It felt like you were so busy now, you never got to hang out like you used to. Although she never really says much. “I'll come with you.”

Nathalie shoots off a text before setting starting the car. While putting on her seat belt she asks, “Don't forget to send me you're history paper if you still want me to look it over. You're almost done right?”

You feel your eyes widen and turn your gaze towards the street. “Yeah, totally.”

Nathalie sighs and shakes her head. You slip your phone out of your pocket and text Luka. You weren't sure if he was working, but it felt like you could bring this whole thing to a partial close.

_Well, I talked to her._

_ How'd it go? Are you okay?_

_ I'm fine, I guess. A bit relieved actually, is that weird? I don't know about Marinette though. It was like she was in shock or something, she just left. Alya might have a different story, since they're together now. I hope she's not too upset._

_ I don't think that's weird. It's obvious you've put a lot of thought into the situation. As for Marinette, I'm sure she'll bounce back. Give her a bit of space. A little bird will tell you anything it hears through the grape vine._

_ Thanks Luka, for everything_

_ Anytime Babe. <3_

_ Babe?_ You stare at your screen a moment. That caught you more off guard than the hear did. Babe. Nobody had ever called you that before. Not that you had dated anyone before. Wait. Were you dating? No. What kind of question was that?

You had both more or less came to the silent agreement that you should sort things out with Marinette before you tried anything else. Unless she formed an angry mob or something with the rest of the girls in your class you'd sat this was settled.

You sigh to yourself and slump forward, clutching your now locked phone. Luka was right, you were a little clueless.


	4. Chapter 4

When you were just hanging out with everyone like this, there was a sense of nostalgia to it all. Normal moments always felt a bit like a dream when you were in them. They came far more often than they used to, but you still couldn't wrap your head around it at times. You knew you needed to relax more, but sometimes you couldn't help but be on the lookout for the next time you'd need to run off and save the city.

Marinette was talking to you again, so you considered that a sign of good fortune, but she still seemed upset about the whole thing. It wasn't like you blamed her or anything, you just wished there was more you could do for her than pretend nothing was wrong. It wasn't exactly your place to intervene when you knew what was the problem. You'd just have to sit back and let the girls work their magic when she was ready.

You splay your hands out behind you, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your face. This was supposed to be a group effort in figuring out what to do for the Ladyblog Anniversary but Marinette and Alya were going back and forth so fast you had lost track of where the conversation was going. Nino seemed to feel the same since he had been doing something on his phone for a time. You liked hearing how excited they both were, even if you didn't get it.

Alya's phone goes off and she's distracted from her tangent about some Ladybug crossover comic. “Marc's got some good timing, he just sent be the writeup.”

“Ooo, let me see.” Marinette leans forward, peering over the top of Alya's phone. Before they could get too absorbed into their reading, Alya glances towards the street. “Hey, isn't that Luka?”

Marinette hums and follows her gaze. Sure enough, there was a familiar blue clad figure wandering down the street. “Now's the perfect time to see if Kitty Sect can help us out.” Alya claps her hands together before waving him down.

Your heart skips a beat as he stops and changes directory towards the nearby entrance. Now that you thought about it, you hadn't really seen him since you made out. Well, you face-timed once, but you didn't really count that since you were both half asleep.

You hadn't really told anyone about you being together. You weren't keeping it a secret or anything, but it just hadn't come up. What were you supposed to do? All of this was so new to you, you were afraid of messing something up. “What's got you so excited, Alya?” Luka plops down in the grass beside you. He wordlessly offers you a bite of his crepe, and you almost immediately regret it as your mouth is flooded with hot cheese.

“I was wondering what Kitty Sections' schedule is looking like?”

Luka hums thoughtfully. “Just a few practices nothing too big. I think Rose was all excited about writing a _Dusk_ tribute, but I haven't heard anything more about it.”

“Perfect.” Alya claps her hands together. Luka takes one last bite of his food before offering you the rest. You take it from him, although you couldn't really taste any of it since your mouth was still scorched. He wipes his hands on his pants and leans forward slightly. “Could you guys do something about Ladybug for the blog,”

“I'm not sure I'm the one you should ask, Rose is the songwriter. I'd need the lyrics before whipping up a melody, otherwise the vibe could be entirely off. Although there are some songs about her already right? If Rose can't write something new, we could always do a cover.”

“Hmm... I think it'd be amazing if we could have something original, but time isn't exactly our friend her. The anniversary is fast approaching and I want to have everything done by then.” Alya clicks her tongue while shooting off a text. You assumed it was for Rose.

“I could lend a hand with that if you want. Although I haven't actually composed music before.” You laugh quietly.

There's a flash of mischief in Luka's eyes as he wipes a crumb off the corner of your mouth. “You know, if you keep coming to practice, you might have to get promoted from auxiliary member.”

You laugh nervously. “I don't think I can handle being a rock star on top of everything else. Besides, my father would never let me.”

Luka pouts dramatically, resting his hand on top of yours. “Like that would be the first thing you've done that your father wouldn't approve of. “

You glance away. There was an art to blowing your lessons off. It wasn't like he was wrong, but you didn't want to upset the delicate balance you assumed you had figured out. Nathalie would never look the other way for you to pick up something like a band. It wasn't the same thing as sneaking off for ice cream or what have you every now and then.

Alya adjusts her glasses and folds her arms over her chest. “Since when do you two get along so well?”

Luka leans back. You slip your fingers in-between his. “When indeed...” He trails off and glances at you.

You rub the back of your neck and shrug. “I hadn't even noticed.”

Alya frowns, clearly not convinced but it was true, to some degree. Luka was so easy to get along with on top of everything else. While the fear of stumbling along the way terrified you, you managed to forget it when he was actually there with you. “You two are no fun sometimes you know that.” She glances at Nino then back at you and Luka.

“What?”

Alya sighs and stretches. “Nothing, forget it. I should probably head out, I'm supposed to watch the twins this afternoon. Marinette you staying or going?”

Marinette tenses visibly. “Uh...” She catches your eyes and quickly looks away before clamoring to her feet. “I have a ton of homework, let's walk partway together. Cya guys.”

Alya lingers by Nino's side as he stands and adjusts his cap. “If you two ever want to help out we've been meeting in the art room after school.”

Luka flashes her a gentle smile and brushes back some of his hair with his free hand. “Sounds like a party. I'm working tomorrow, but I'll pass the idea along to the others if you want. We have practice this weekend. You should stop by if you're serious.”

“That would be awesome, I'll see you then.”

“Later dudes.” You watch them head towards the gate. Luka flops sideways and rests his head in your lap. You idly run your fingertips through his coarse hair.

“Alya doesn't have any tact does she?”

You laugh quietly and shake your head. “Not really. I don't think she ever gets out of reporter mode.”

“Definitely not. It's scary how much she knows about who's doing what. I wouldn't be surprised if she had like a little black book for everyone with all our deep dark secrets in it.”

A chill runs down your spine. You couldn't see Alya doing something like that but now that the idea was there you wondered... Did she keep a diary? “You seem to know an awful lot yourself.”

“Naturally. The walls are thin, while Jules may kick me out of her room sometimes, that doesn't mean I can hear the latest gossip. In case you were curious glitter is in. Feathers are out.” He holds up his freshly painted nails as if it was proof of the latest trend. You could hardly see the small flecks of glitter, but when you turned his hand over in the light they were certainly there. “Which is why, we should get our story straight.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Luka taps your nose and shifts. “I mean Marinette told her what you said right? She's gonna put two and two together if we keep casting wistful gazes at one another. Unless your fine with telling everyone.”

“I guess I haven't really put much thought into it.”

“Don't then. I just didn't want to drag you into something you're uncomfortable with, I know you have a lot on your plate.” He smiles gently. Your phone goes off in time with a car door opening and closing. You glance towards the street to find Nathalie standing there.

You both stand and Luka walks you to the park gate. Nathalie opens the car door for you and gives Luka a once over. Had she even met him before? “Would you like a ride home?”

Luka jams his hands in his pockets and shakes his head. “No, thank you, I'm not that far. I'll talk to you later okay Adrien?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”


	5. Chapter 5

You woke up in an unusually good mood. Band practice was usually enough to pep you up, but this felt like something different. You were certain something good was going to happen today, you just didn't know what it would be yet.

“I'm going to meet Rose.”

“Okay, I'll finish setting up here then. Be careful.” You watch her out of the corner of your eye as she leaves the boat and heads for the street above.

You hadn't noticed how eerily quiet it was until you had finished setting up and put out snacks. Rose was easily sidetracked if something caught her attention, but nobody else was here or had said anything. The news alert about another akuma attack comes in as you're wander back topside with your phone. _That explains it then. I hope they're okay._

Hawkmoth had been surprisingly quiet these past few days, you assumed he'd take the weekend off . Even super villains needed a vacation here and there.

A shadow falls over you as you cram a few pretzels into your mouth. Ladybug lands on the deck, slightly out of breath. “Viperion, we need your help.”

“What's going on?' You take the box containing your miraculous from her and flip it open. You affectionately rub the top of Sass' head as he materializes in front of you.

“He's using some weird sort of mind control. I'm having trouble figuring out how it works. I'm hoping you can help out.”

“I'll do my best. Sass, scales slither.” Your enveloped in a teal flash of light, and power surges through you.

Ladybug wraps and arm around your waist and carries you over the canal. She sets you down on the roof of a nearby rooftop and leads the way towards where you assumed Cat Noir was waiting. It felt like you hadn't seen these two in ages, it was almost like meeting up with old friends.

Cat Noir narrowly dodges some invisible blast of energy and rolls to a stop at your feet. He smirks and strikes a 'seductive' pose. “Who makes a better snake charmer, me or bugaboo?”

You laugh quietly and shake your head. Ladybug sighs. “Focus, Cat Noir.”

He climbs to his feet and leans against his staff. “I'm always focused.”

“Not on the right things!” There's banging on the metal door behind you.

“Uh, we might want to turn our attention to that.” You give them both a shove towards the edge of the roof as the door bursts open and a swarm of people lunge for the three of you.”

“If we're getting down to business, I'm going to need one of your world famous plans.”

“Trial and error is my plan.”

A man in a padded suit rises from the alley below and fires off another blast of sound. You duck behind a ventilation unit and twist your bracelet. “Second Chance it is.”

~ * * * ~

_That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. _You take a few deep breaths as the Magic Ladybugs swarm the city and repair the damage that had been done. Cat Noir pats your back and smiles gently. “I've gotta hand it to you, you got some pretty good timing.”

“Well, I do have all the time in the world to prepare. Keeping you from charging in is really half the battle.” You flash him an impish smirk.

“What can I say? I'm a man of action.”

“If your such a man of action, then you better scurry off kitty, You're going to transform back.”

Cat Noir pouts as you all fist bump. “Looks like I'm not the only one who has claws. “ He bows dramatically. And walks backwards towards the edge of the roof. “Until we meet again.” He drops to the ground below. You shake your head as your transformation runs out. _He's always so spirited. _

“Thanks for your help today. I hope I didn't interrupt anything.”

“Anytime.” You pull the bracelet off and place it back in the box before handing it to Ladybug. “And you didn't. The other's must have hunkered down somewhere. On the bright side, my mom won't try to make dinner for everyone so we'll probably get pizza. I'd invite you but, y'know.”

“It's the thought that counts. Can I drop you off around here?”

“Sounds good.” You throw and arm around her shoulder and she drops you off in a nearby alley. “See you around.”

“Likewise, Bug out.”

You watch her swing back to the rooftops and take a moment to compose yourself. You check your phone to find a text from Jules asking where you were.

You run your fingers through your hair and step out of the alley.

_Sorry, I must have got hit by that guy and wandered off. I don't really remember. I'll be back soon._

“Surprise!” Adrien throws himself at your back and loops his arms around you. “Ice skating got canceled, that guy blasted a hole clear through the rink.” Adrien loosens his grip enough for you to turn around. “Although I feel bad for Phillipe, he was freaking out about how he was going to pay for everything...” He trails off and shakes his head, gripping your shirt. “But I saw you with Ladybug and Cat Noir, you were amazing!”

“You think so?”

Adrien nods, pulling you forward into a kiss. You rest your hand on the side of his face and brush your thumb across his cheek. You didn't want to let him go now that you were in his arms. When he said he couldn't come this weekend, you weren't really surprised, but you never wanted to watch him go when he did managed to slip away. “Adrien!”

“Guess the cat's out of the bag.” Adrien flashes you sheepish smile and kisses you again before releasing you.

“Is it though?” You take his hand. Alya bounds over to you with Marinette in tow. Her face was red and she was trying to quietly discourage Alya from bothering you.

“Definitely.” He squeezes your hand. “Hey you two. Did you get caught up in crossfire too?”

Alya's eyes sparkle with determination. “Oh no, don't think you can distract me from this. Give me details. How long have you two been going out?”

You give him and gentle tug and start leading the way towards home. You feel Adrien glance at you. “How long indeed...”

“About a week.”

“Really? Only a week?” You could feel her studying both of you. “What happened?”

“That's...”

Adrien catches your eye again. You shrug. “We were just hanging out.”

Marinette inserts herself into the conversation before Alya could come up with another slew of questions for you. “And it's great, we hope the best for you two.”

Adrien beams. “Thanks Marinette.”

“Don't mention it.” She waves you off and laughs nervously. “I've been looking forward to this all week. It's always so fun watching you guys preform. Did Rose green light writing a new song?”

You nod, releasing Adrien's hand as you head down the stairs to the canal. “Yup, I'm sure with everyone's help we'll be able to come up with something amazing.”


	6. Chapter 6

Words couldn't describe how thankful you were that Luka called. Nathalie glanced at you out of the corner of her eye, but didn't say anything as you answered the call. “Hey, you busy?”

Nathalie coughs and you pretend you hadn't heard her. “Nope.”

“I wanted to-” His phone falls off his bed as he gets comfortable. Luka sighs and retrieves it. “I wanted to show you the new and improved Ladyblog song. I got a little too carried away with the other one.”

“Sure.” You do your best to make it look like you were still chipping away at your homework, but you needed a break.

Luka settles back , his head disappearing out of frame. He hums to himself, trying to find the right chords before starting to play. This melody was just as peppy as the last one but lacked some of the more complicated rifts. And when the lyrics were supposed to kick in the shift in tone made it easier to hear the lyrics over the music. Something he hadn't really done last time.

He trails off in an awkward spot and scribbles something down on a nearby sheet of paper. “That's all I got. We've still got to iron out the ending.”

“Still you're off to a solid start. I think what you had before is better for a heavier song, or even an instrumental if you vary it up a bit more. This one is much better suited for Ladybug.”

Luka nods in agreement, idly strumming his guitar. “I feel like it's missing something.”

“You mean like the end?”

Luka leans back into frame just to frown at you. “You know very well that's not what I meant. It's not...” He plays more aggressive chord and gestures with his hands. “You know? Ladybug is pretty bad ass too. But it doesn't really fit the lyrics...” Luka sighs and grabs his phone. “Oh, you're doing homework?”

“Yup.” You hold up a sheet of paper even though he couldn't exactly see what was on it. “But as for your song, there's still time to change it. Or you could enter the contest yourself and write something new.”

“Maybe... I just really don't want to do to much fixing and rewriting. There's not enough time to perfect it we're recording Saturday.” Luka sets his phone down and sighs.

You hadn't put much thought into how seriously everyone was taking this. Your friends were all so talent, no matter what they did you were sure the end result would be amazing. Seeing how hard they were working, you felt a little bad that there wasn't anything more you could do for them. “Don't beat yourself up about it, Alya knew it'd be tight when she asked you to do this; but she wouldn't have asked if she wasn't certain you guys could pull it off. You'll figure it out.”

Luka picks up his phone again and smiles. “You're right, I knew you'd solve this. Thanks Babe.”

“Happy to help. Now that we've solved one problem, want to solve my chemistry homework?”

Luka snorts and laughs quietly. “I haven't done homework in a year. Good luck. Ms. Mendeleiev makes that class way too hard.”

“Thanks.”

You sulk into your front camera. Nathalie chides you both. “Homework is important, especially when a certain someone needs to keep his grades up.”

You laugh nervously. “Adrien, you're failing? Natughty, naughty. Here I was thinking you'd be top of the class.”

“I am...sometimes.”

You hear Juleka mutter something in the background and Luka's eyes widen. He quickly sits up . “I gotta go, I'll text you later. Good luck with the homework.”

“Bye.” He ends the call. It was hard to imagine something that could get him so worked up that quickly. You sigh and lock your phone, staring at your paper with disdain., It felt like you had been sitting there for hours. “You know, you didn't need to tell him I was failing.”

“I didn't mean to embarrass you, I just don't want you to start neglecting your school work because you have a boyfriend.” Nathalie stops flipping through some papers, and smiles warmly.

“Is it really that obvious?” You sigh. “You aren't going to tell my father, are you?” It wasn't that you didn't want him to know, but currently you feared the worst. He hadn't even warmed up to Nino or Marinette yet, there was no way he'd approve of you dating Luka.

“Not unless you give me a reason to.”

“Thanks, Nathalie.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Alright ready? One..two...three.” Rose taps the button for the number generator. You weren't even surprised when it landed on her for the fourth week in a row, just a little disappointed. Even Jules seemed shocked as Rose claps her hands together in delight. “Woah! This is amazing! I'm on a roll lately. You know what this calls for right?”

Mischief flashes in her eyes. You groan inwardly before Rose could even mention Dusk. How many times had you seen that movie? It was good the first dozen times but now it was just overkill. Out of all the vampire romance movies in the world, why did both of them keep coming back to this one? “Hi Adrien!”

“Hey guys, what are you doing?” You glance up and catch his eye. Adrien flashes you a shy smile and runs his fingertips through your hair.

“We're deciding who gets to pick the movie for movie night!”

Juleka adds. “Rose has won for a month straight.'

“Woah. Are you sure your not cheating?”

Rose pouts. “I wouldn't do something like that!”

You laugh quietly. “Adrien you should come. Then we have to re-roll.”

“When is it?”

“Saturday, my house, after band practice and we wrap up all the Ladyblog stuff. Oh, by the way, did you send the recording to Nino?”

Adrien laughs nervously. “Not yet, but it'll be done for then, I swear. As for the movie...” He trails off. His brow furrows slightly while he thinks and his hand falls from your head. “I'm not sure. When do you want me over?”

You glance at Rose and Jules. Jules shrugs slightly, and Rose runs through the mental list of everything she wanted to do Saturday. Since you were working in the morning, and Marinette still had to do a final costume check, you could feel Adrien's window of opportunity closing by the minute. “I don't think we'll be done much before six, but we also need to clean up after, and get everything set up. But we don't usually start until seven anyway.”

“I'd have to ask my father, but I don't think I'd be able to stay for the whole thing even if he did let me out. I'm not allowed to sleep over.”

Rose pouts. “Oh that's so unfair! We don't even start having fun until the movies over. Last time Luka let us do his makeup.”

Adrien glances down at you again and smirks. “Did they really?”

“Naturally, and I was fabulous.”

“He was!” Rose bounces with excitement. She was probably fantasizing about doing it again. “Adrien, we should give you a make over too!”

Jules smiles, her eyes sparkling. “That'd be fun.”

Adrien's eyes widen and he takes a step back. “Woah, slow down. I don't even know if I can come yet.”

Rose sulks. The bell for class rings. She grabs her phone from the ground and stands. You do the same. “Adrien glances up the stairs but you catch his hand before he could leave. “If you can't come this week, there's always next time. We do this most weekends so the doors always open.”

Juleka nods in silently approval and follows Rose up the stairs. You laugh despite yourself. She had made herself a little too much at home if she felt like she could invite other people over. Although you probably would have said the same thing. Even if she wouldn't say it in so many words, you could tell she had her heart set on sucking Adrien into one of their makeover parties. “She's right. Don't worry about it okay? But if you can come over, just stop in whenever. We'll figure it out.”

Adrien nods, a sad smile crossing his lips. “I'll let you know then. Thanks for being so accommodating.”

~~~

When all the commotion had died down and you were almost done cleaning, fatigue started to wear on you. Watching a movie was the last thing you wanted to do, but after Adrien had worked so hard to actually get here today, you tried to scrape together a second wind.

You throw the rest of the dishes in the washer. Jules wanders upstairs to do one final check of the deck. You check your phone for what felt like the hundredth time today. Alya had send another message in the group chat to thank everyone one last time for all their hair work.

The oven goes off. You pull a tray of pizza rolls and fries from the oven. Jules, mom and Rose join you shortly after. “You guys are getting set up awfully early.”

You shrug, making a conscious effort to not put a hot pizza roll in your mouth. “Adrien can't stay late.”

Rose adds, “so we're going to get started as soon as he gets here! He needs to have the full experience.”

Mom laughs. You skirt around her and Rose as they start making popcorn and ripping open bags of candy. “I trust you three will do just that.”

Adrien bounds down the stairs. His cheeks were red and his hair was disheveled, but excitement sparkled in his eyes. “Hey guys, am I too early?”

He takes a moment to catch his breath. Mom welcomes him. “No you're just in time. Make yourself at home and help yourself. I'll get out of your kids way, but don't do anything I wouldn't do okay.”

Adrien beams. “We won't.”

Mom makes herself a plate, and claims a small bowl of candy for herself, before disappearing into her room. The girls take over the kitchen. You take Adrien with you to get blankets. “Are you sure I'm not too early?”

“Nope. Mom was right, your just in time. We were just finishing up. “ You stop short and grabbing Rose's blanket from the top of the dryer to pull Adrien into a hug. He relaxes into your arms, and rests his cheek on your chest. “I'm glad you could make it.”

“So am I.” He squeezes you and sighs contently. “How'd it all go earlier.”

Irritation prickles at your consciousness at the mere thought. Everything that could have went wrong did, but somehow you all managed to finish everything. If Marinette wasn't so good at thinking on her feet, you'd be telling a different story right now. “We're lucky Marinette is so smart or you'd be recording with us.”

“That bad huh? “

You nod and release him as you hear the Dusk theme filtering down the hall. “Can you grab the pillows?”

Adrien nods. You grab an armful of blankets and make your way to the living room. Rose and Juleka had finished rearranging the furniture and dimmed the lights. “Everything is all ready to go! This is going to be so much fun. Adrien, have you seen _Dusk _before?”

“Uh no, I haven't.”

“Well if you have any questions you should ask Juleka, she knows more trivia than I do.”

Jules flops down on the couch after claiming Rose's pink blanket. “Maybe that's because you always fall asleep.”

“I can't help it! Edwin's house is just so cozy.” Jules laughs quietly. “But Adrien, there's candy, and popcorn and pizza rolls, so help yourself okay?”

“Okay.”

There was a process to everyone getting settled. Rose left long enough to change into her PJ's. Jules not so discreetly claimed the bag of kit-kats for herself and you mixed popcorn and m&m's in a bowl. Adrien seemed a little overwhelmed with it all. It wasn't until you fed him a couple pizza rolls that he calmed down.

It was weird to think he could handle paparazzi and droves of fans, but felt out of place doing something like this. He needed to get out more. Although it wasn't for lack of trying. You felt like the minutes you stole from him when you crossed paths while you were out and about were personal victories. Nathalie always seemed sympathetic so you never gave her too much of a hard time, but you didn't feel any better about the whole thing. You couldn't wrap your head around how he lived.

Adrien seemed a little off put after he finished reading the DVD case and settled in beside you. Rose was the last to join you. She dropped into the middle of the couch and pressed play. She wiggled with excitement as the opening credits played.

You spend more time arranging a couple blankets around you and Adrien than Bell monologue about how she had to move. Adrien edged closer to you during the process, until he had his head resting on your shoulder.

You run your fingers through his hair. Satisfied he had picked all the m&ms out of your popcorn he hands the bowl back with an impish smirk and a peck on the cheek. You make a mental note to put in a lot more candy into the mix next time.

The movie goes on. Bell meets Edwin. They go to school. She goes on about how weird he is. Adrien falls asleep shortly after taking your hand in his.

You found it no small feat that he had managed to fall asleep before Rose. But there was nothing that could stop her from watching the confession scene in the meadow. She lived for it. You were even convinced she had the whole speech Edwin gave about his inner beat memorized.

Then again, Adrien did the most running around out of all of you. It wasn't hard to imagine him having gotten all worked up about coming over here either.

You free your right hand from his long enough to pull the blanket higher on his shoulder. He tenses slightly as you move around. You run the fingers on your left hand through his hair and kiss the top of his head now and then.

As the hand of sleep threatened to sink it's claws into you to, you were overcome with the desire for this moment to never end. As Bell and Edwin found their spark, you felt like more fuel had been added to your own flame. But just like that, Adrien's phone went off and the moment was over. Adrien stirs slightly. You fish his phone from his breast pocket and sure enough, Nathalie had texted him.

You kiss the top of his head again, then brush his bangs away from his face and kiss his forehead, calling his name softly. “Nathalie's here.”

You kiss him again. Adrien's brow furrows and he unintentionally sinks his nails into your shoulder as he straightens. He glances towards the doorway. The darkness creeping into the cabin confirmed his suspicions. Rose pauses the movie as Adrien stands and wrestles with the blanket in a fit of annoyance. “You're leaving?”

“Yeah, sorry.” You hand him his phone as he fumbles for it. “You'll have to tell me what happens. Luka already said he wouldn't spoil anything.”

Rose nods. “Okay, goodnight Adrien.”

Juleka adds, “see you at school.”

Adrien nods. You throw the blanket into the couch and stand, following him out. He types out a text to Nathalie and apologizes again. “Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I don't normally, but there's a first time for everything.”

He manages to smile. You take his free hand in yours and linger on the gangplank. “Don't worry about it. This is just part one of the tri-montly Dusk marathon. Rose falls asleep during the same points like clockwork. It's impressive really.”

Adrien blows air out of his nose and shakes his head. “I'll believe it when I see it.” He balances on his toes and pulls you into a kiss. “I promise I won't fall asleep next time.”

“I'll hold you to that.” You kiss him again. Adrien drops to the ground and makes his way down the pier and up the stairs.

~~~

It took you several minutes of fumbling for Luka's hand for you to pick your head up and realize you were in your own bed. You barely remembered the ride home or climbing into bed. Hawkmoth seriously needed to lay off the late night akumatizations. You weren't sure you could take many more late nights.

A sigh rises in your chest. You had told Luka from the get go that you wouldn't be able to spend the night, but you didn't feel any better about leaving. Everybody had worked so hard to make sure you felt included, and you didn't even stick around for the fruits of your labor. And fallen asleep on top of all of that.

One thing was certain, you were thankful you had gotten saving the city out of the way before your date. You weren't sure you had it in you to lie your way into leaving before things had even started.

Fatigue weighs on you as you fumble through your blankets in search of your phone. You missed Luka. Wanting him by your side was such a strange feeling. And the thought of a mound of homework and being on lock down until further notice didn't help.

Your phone falls to the floor. You fling back your blanket and recover it. It was almost dead, but hung on until you untangled your charger. Luka had texted you late last night. You assumed it was before he had gone to bed.

** _Found it, I told you I was fabulous. ;)_ **

He had unearthed the picture of the makeover Rose and Juleka gave him. On paper teal blush and eye shadow sounded gaudy, but he made it work. You set it as his contact icon, but stopped short of changing your wallpaper too.

** _You could make anything look good. Sorry again abut last night. If you aren't busy later, call me. I've got a ton of homework I'm NOT looking forward to doing._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as a Taste of Blood/Funnel of Love songfic but I kept coming up with more and more ideas for it so here we go :p I've mostly got the second half planned out, but the start might be a little all over the place, please bear with me ><


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